Oren Nochimowski grew up “very Jewish” and does not hide his faith.
“I wear a hoodie regularly and keep a mezuzah on my door frame,” said Nochimowski, a student at the University of Michigan.
Recently, he found his mezuzah, a small bag containing parchment inscribed with Hebrew verses from the Torah, removed from his door and thrown into the entrance of his residence.
“This was a direct attack against me,” Nochimowski said. “If whoever did this knew who I am and what I stand for, I think he would understand that there is no need to attack me because of my religion and beliefs.”
But he said he was not shaken and put the mezuza back on his door frame.
“I’m not afraid to be Jewish,” he said.
Nochimowski was one of 13 Jewish college students who met with U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) on Monday at the Northbrook Jewish Community Center to talk about how they have seen an increase in anti-Semitism on their college campuses since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas.
Following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, the Anti-Defamation League recorded 2,031 anti-Semitic incidents — 400 of which occurred on college and university campuses.
Nearly three-quarters of Jewish college students have witnessed or experienced some form of anti-Semitism on campus since the start of the academic year, according to a survey by ADL and Hillel International.
Hate crimes against Muslims and Jews rose in the Chicago area after the outbreak of war.
In the most serious case, a Palestinian-American Muslim boy was killed and his mother seriously injured in the town of Plainfield when a man attacked them with a knife in what police described as a hate crime. The boy had just turned 6 years old.
Schneider represents the 10th District, which is located in the northern suburbs including parts of Cook, Lake and McHenry counties and has a large Jewish population.
The students, all from the 10th District, represent colleges in the Chicago area, Michigan, Iowa, Wisconsin, Louisiana and Washington, D.C.
While he was a student at Northwestern University, which he attended from 1979 to 1988 when he earned his MBA, Schneider told students that he did not encounter the same level of anti-Semitism.
“I can wear a Star of David or a yarmulke on campus and not worry,” he said.
Schneider, one of 27 Jewish members of the US House of Representatives, said: “Antisemitism is not new, but what is different now is how important and central it is, and it is most important on university campuses.”
During a discussion at the Northbrook Jewish Community Center on Monday with U.S. Rep. Brand Schneider, college students described how strong the Jewish community is on their campuses.
Caitlin Washburn/Sun-Times
Most students described how strong the Jewish community was at their universities. But they all shared stories of anti-Semitic incidents they witnessed or experienced firsthand in their schools.
Ilana Passmore and Jack Pinsky chose Tulane University in New Orleans for the strong Jewish community on campus.
“Tulane feels as Jewish as Deerfield, where I come from,” Pinsky said.
While both have noticed an uptick in anti-Semitism on campus, both feel safe on campus because of the Tulane administration and the Jewish campus organizations Hillel and Chabad.
“I was confident going to Tulane that I would feel proud as a Jew to go there and feel supported and safe,” Passmore said.
But she said Tulane could do more to provide training for students to understand and prevent anti-Semitism.
Joshua Weiskopf, who teaches at the University of Chicago, described a rise in anti-Semitic activity on campus. He also said there is ongoing tension between Jewish student groups and the Students for Justice in Palestine chapter on campus.
“Even though there has been an increase in anti-Semitism, the Jewish community on campus has come together and is stronger than before,” Weiskopf said.
Hayden Heishout said many of her fellow students at Loyola University Chicago are not well-versed in the war and the history of the region in general, yet many of them have taken strong positions.
“They get their information from Instagram and TikTok and don’t do their own research,” Heisschut said. “If I don’t present the information in an aesthetically appealing infographic, people won’t listen to me.”
Loyola’s Jewish population is much smaller than the other universities represented in Monday’s discussion, she said.
“I had to look for my own Jewish community on campus,” Heishout said. “There is not a lot of support and it makes me feel like I have to hide that I am Jewish.”
In recent years, there has been a growing concern about the rise of anti-Semitism on college campuses across the United States. US Representative Brad Schneider has been vocal about addressing this issue, and has been working alongside college students to speak out against this alarming trend. As the number of reported anti-Semitic incidents on campuses continues to increase, it is crucial for individuals in positions of influence to take a stand against hate and discrimination. In this article, we will explore the efforts of US Rep. Schneider and college students as they work to combat anti-Semitism and promote tolerance and inclusion on campus.